Product Description

Get everything you need for a successful and pain-free year of learning math! This kit includes Saxon's 2nd Edition Calculus textbook, and tests/worksheets book & answer key, as well as the DIVE Calculus CD-ROM. A balanced, integrated mathematics program that has proven itself a leader in the math teaching field, Calculus covers limits, functions, and the differentiation and integration of variables.

The DIVE software teaches each Saxon lesson concept step-by-step on a digital whiteboard, averaging about 10-15 minutes in length; because each lesson is stored separately, you can easily move about from lesson-to-lesson as well as maneuver within the lesson you're watching. DIVE teaches the same concepts as Saxon, but does not use the problems given in the text; it cannot be used as a solutions guide.

I think that this is a wonderful program, based on the little bit that we used it. I bought it to TRY with my youngest daughter in her senior year, not sure exactly what we'd be doing and thinking I could resell the Saxon text and DIVE program when finished. Long story short, after using DIVE briefly, we switched math gears for various reasons, and when I went to resell it, I found out that I couldn't do that because of the EULA (End Users License Agreement.) I can't even give it to a friend! It is completely non-transferable (legally.) This is not true of most software; most non-OEM software can be sold or transferred if you remove it from your computer first.

My big beef is that this was not mentioned in the sales description, and I wouldn't have bought the program had I known. DIVE is definitely a great value if you use the entire program, and especially if you have a number of kids in your family that will use it. But it was not at all a good value for us!

Dr. Shormann's CD is an excellent teacher for this calculus program, and his teaching is an excellent substitute for the in-book explanations. The explanations of concepts in the text will usually elucidate anything which Dr. Shormann has not made crystal clear, and the practice problems are very good. The incremental progression of the Saxon books fits the complicated material very well in this book, so even kids who have been frustrated by Saxon before (as I was) should give this set a try.

Full completion of this course adequately prepared me for the CLEP Calculus exam.

However, the answer key contains ONLY the answer, with no work. Since this is Calculus, the parent/teacher is going to have to work through wrong problems with the child - and (because of the answer key) they are going to have to do it without much guidance. Additionally, some correct answers will look very different than the solutions in the answer guide, and yet be mathematically equivalent.

On the whole, a very good product, if the user is willing to put in the effort.